He had the answer in his other pocket, but he wanted Graydon to have a chance at redemption.
The older man ran a hand down his face. As he reached his chin, his shoulders lost their shape. “Reginald Spencer learned of one of Philip’s…indiscretions. One that, should it be revealed, might limit his marriage opportunities.”
“And I told you that no father would overlook a title because of a girl in a brothel,” Raines said.
A deep sadness fell over Graydon. “Any responsible father offering a worthy dowry would want his daughter married to a man with a flawless reputation.”
Jasper would. He suspected Raines’s presumed father-in-law would as well. Annabel’s argument after the theatre whispered through his memory. Raines is a brute and a bully.
Of course, she could have simply been fighting for this same girl, but Jasper doubted it. A brute and a bully was always a brute and a bully, no matter the rank of the victim.
He’d need to speak with Bainbridge about Charlotte.
“Back to Spencer,” Kit said. “Lord Graydon, did Spencer demand money in return for his secrecy?”
Graydon nodded, head down. “With the amounts coming into the treasury, I fooled myself into believing no one would miss it.”
“If we hadn’t needed money for the bridge in Cumberland, we likely would have.” The prime minister tapped his ring against the table. “Lord Graydon, we must discuss the extent of your punishment, but know that it will begin with your immediate removal from office.”
“I understand, sir.”
Solving the puzzle with Annabel had been exciting, as was closing in on Collins. Jasper was already anticipating the satisfaction of stopping Spencer and getting justice for Gareth. But this? Sitting across from an honorable man as he watched his life crumble around him? This was the ugly side of those successes.
“Your cooperation in the capture of Mr. Spencer may weigh in your favor when deciding further repercussions,” the prime minister said as he stacked the papers and closed the file.
The matter was closed. Jasper put his hands on the chair, eager to push himself away from the table and leave the room.
“If I may, sir?” Kit asked, but then continued without waiting for permission. “Viscount Raines, how did you injure your arm?”
The young man’s face went blank. “My horse threw me.”
Jasper frowned. Melton’s horse master had earned the title—the family’s stable was well trained. Not to mention, Raines was celebrated for his skill in the saddle.
“You weren’t grabbed from behind while running through Green Park?”
“What? No.” The young man’s voice rose, both in pitch and volume. “Why would I be running anywhere?”
“Because the Ramsbury footman was chasing you,” Kit said. “While Jasper was bleeding in his family coach.”
Graydon stared open-mouthed at his son. “Philip?”
“I told you no one would care, but you didn’t listen.” Raines’s face twisted. “You know what would ruin our family? Embezzlement.”
“What did you do?” Graydon demanded. “Philip! What did you do?”
“Spencer said if I stopped Ramsbury’s investigation, the threat to you—to us—would disappear. There was only one way to end it.”
“You shot at me during the hunting party?” Jasper asked, wanting to be certain what stopped meant.
Raines bobbed his chin in the barest of nods.
“And again on the highway?”
“I had a blade. Collins had the pistol,” he sneered. “He lost his bottle when you fired on us.”
They had come on either side. “You were after Annabel as well.”
“Spencer reasoned that we should hedge our bets. If you were gone, we would have time to straighten matters before she or Warwick resumed pursuit. If she was gone, you’d lose your heart for it.”
By now, Graydon had his head in his hands. It would take just a quick flick to shove his fingers in his ears.
Jasper had a white-knuckled grip on his chair, so tight that the curved wood gouged a trench in his palm. “And here in London?”
“She knew too much.” Raines’s eyes were hollow. “You got in the way.”
Jasper launched himself from the chair and reached the other side of the table in four long strides. Raines was in his hands, his face under Jasper’s fist in the space of two breaths. He didn’t know he was roaring until Kit wrestled him away.
“Take a breath.” Kit thumped his chest to urge compliance. “Breathe. Again. Again.”
Raines was a whimpering, bloody mess. Graydon was in tears. While the prime minister was still seated, his eyes were wide.
“My apologies, Lord John. Lord Graydon.” Jasper would not apologize to Raines. Ever. The whelp should be grateful to walk.
“Thank you, Jasper.” The prime minister didn’t smile, though there may have been a gleam in his eye. “Perhaps you should go home to your wife. I can manage the rest.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
